Elfen Lied: Nature or Nurture
by Highlord90
Summary: This story follows Kurama and Number Three as he attempts to save her from her life as a lab rat at the Research Facility. It starts off as kind words and gestures to keep her mind focused and healthy but it quickly develops into a desire to her free from her prison. It develops into a slice of life based around Kurama helping Number Three overcome her past and become more human...
1. Chapter 1: In the name of Science

_After reading Elfen Lied and discovering the tragic life of Number Three I felt an urge to write this story and suddenly a whole series was planned around Kurama and Number Three. I've tried my hardest to capture the morale dilemma that Elfen Lied presented while putting forward my own views on the question of whether a Diclinious is driven by nature or nurture._

_Enjoy and let me know how you feel this story is progressing._

**Elfen Lied: Nature or Nurture?**

**Chapter One:**

**In the name of Science**

"No more, no more please!"

A nude girl who looked to be about six or seven years old was cuffed to the wall by her arms which were held up at a right angles on both sides of the wall to stop her from covering her face. She was a small girl with pink hair that didn't reach past the top of her neck, on top of her head were two small horns that poked out from the mess of neglected hair. Her eyes were blood red and tears ran down her cheeks as she continued to plead.

Despite her appearance the girl was only three or four. Her body and mind advanced much quicker than normal humans but that being said she wasn't really human at all but rather a Diclonious.

The Diclonious were always born female and some of the researchers here believed them to be the next step in human evolution while others condemned them as monsters due to their supernatural abilities to use Vectors.

Vectors allowed them to rip people apart with what appeared to be their minds but for some reason it only worked within a two metre radius so some researchers thought their ability worked as a second pair of hands or perhaps more.

Kurama looked at the girl bound to the wall as a large cannon was aimed at her face. She was clearly afraid and knew exactly what was about to happen if her Vectors couldn't stop the heavy metal ball that would be shot from that cruel device. In Kurama's mind it resembled a large artillery gun that was affixed to the wall and could lowered and raised.

Kurama himself was a young man with matted black hair and a long fringe, he had sharp features with blue eyes and wore a white lab coat with black suit trousers and a black tie.

"Firing at 300 Joules," the man beside Kurama said. The girl heard this and a fresh wave of pleading and begging began. Kurama felt that familiar urge to vomit form in the pit of his stomach whenever he saw this.

How could they be monsters? He had heard that these girls were dangerous to approach because of their Vectors and for that reason they were locked up was because of their instinctual urge to kill as soon as their abilities manifested at around three years old. What had chilled Kurama most was hearing that the first victims were often their parents.

Kurama was pulled from this train of thought by a scream of terror as the metal ball smashed into the girls face, spraying blood across the wall behind her and on the floor as her head tilted forward.

"No change," the man at the controls sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Will we try again professor Kakuzawa?"

Kurama looked towards the man he called his friend, Kakuzawa Yu. He hadn't even flinched when the girl was injured but neither had anyone except for Kurama. It was like torturing children 'in the name of science' had become part of their daily routine and was no more a moral dilemma than filing paperwork.

Kakuzawa Yu was slightly taller than Kurama with brown hair and brown eyes with light stubble growing under his chin. He wore similar clothing to Kurama and the other scientists at the facility.

"Would Kakuzawa continue the experiment?" Kurama wondered. He believed he would stop for today and let her rest but in the month since his arrival he had begun to feel like he hardly knew his old college buddy at all.

"Number Three's had enough for today," Kakuzawa said with a sideways glance at Kurama, "Gas the room and put her to sleep and have food waiting for her when she wakes up." The Diclonious also had an incredible healing factor so the injuries she sustained today would stop hurting very soon and be healed by morning.

Kurama sighed and left the room. He had seen all his stomach could handle for now by looking at the blood soaked, crying child. Kakuzawa followed behind him with a cheery smile that felt very out of place for this situation.

"Keep looking like that when the wind changes Kurama and you'll never lose that expression," he said mockingly, "Don't get too hung up on it, her Vectors stopped the ball from hurting her too much," but that didn't cheer Kurama up so Kakuzawa tried a different approach, "She gets two meals a day and plenty of time to recover, that's pretty damn kind you know?"

"And what about a childhood?" Kurama shouted then stopped and sighed heavily. "How much longer are you going to keep telling yourself these things Kakuzawa?" he turned to face his friend, "How much longer until you realise that you're performing these sadistic experiments on children?"

He let his own tired eyes bore in Kakuzawa's, "Do you even lose sleep over this?"

Kakuzawa was hardly ever caught off guard. It was like his morals had been thrown out the window. "Can't say I do Kurama," was what he said, "These 'little girls' you're crying over are nothing but instinctive animals that kill without remorse, sure they look like cute little humans you want to coddle and protect but down here they're nothing more hazardous material or lab rats." That sentence was delivered with an eerie indifference that chilled Kurama down to the bone. "See them for what they are Kurama, animals."

"I wish I could see them like that but unfortunately I have a conscience." Kurama said as he turned around and headed for the helipad so he could get a flight to the mainland and back home to his wife.

A while later and Kurama was standing beside his car. He wanted his hands to stop shaking before getting behind the wheel but memories of Number Three once again caused him clench his fists in silent rage. She wasn't the only Diclonious that he was working on with Kakuzawa but this one was still new. She had been at the facility for almost as long as him and she had yet to get used to the daily routine of isolation and experimentation whereas the other girls were quite literally husks and he had already seen a few be 'disposed' of when they had lost the will to live.

Number Three stuck with him because she still had her humanity intact. It was because of this that he hated seeing her every day, naked and vulnerable, as the bastards performed their experiments. He knew why they were kept naked too, it wasn't down to some kink but simply because they were seen as animals and removing their right to wear clothing dehumanized them even further. He rationalised that it was probably what helped make their experiments bearable to perform for the scientists.

Kurama sighed again and got in his car, eager to return home to his wife…

**A month later**

"Be strong Number Three," Kurama said into the intercom, "You can stop it if you try, just focus."

He had been saying these things too Number Three for a while now. Number Three had appeared to be losing her willingness to protect herself lately so Kurama had started encouraging her to get better, reminding her that someone behind the glass was taking notice of her wellbeing beyond feeding and cleaning her.

Number Three's eyes darted to his. Though she couldn't see him she always had a knack for meeting his eyes through the one way glass and this time she shot him a smile. Kakuzawa looked at Kurama with an amused grin but Kurama simply flipped him off.

"Firing at 300 Joules!"

Once again the ball impacted with Number Three's face. Kakuzawa punched his open hand and sighed. "Still no change," he said with a growl, "Every other subject has gone past 300 within days of hitting that barrier so why not her?"

Kurama shrugged, "Perhaps she's a runt?"

"Hm, that's a good theory," Kakuzawa chuckled, "Maybe your encouragement isn't working either though?"

"Fuck you Kakuzawa," Kurama growled, "This is how I get through these experiments."

"Okay, she's had enough for today," Kakuzawa said, "Put her to sleep and feed her, I'm going to fill out a report."

Kurama had no desire to return to his office yet. He was too tired to sit at a computer and type out another damn report and his lack of sleep had hit him hard, he had barely any energy to do anything but thankfully a strong cup of coffee saw him through the day.

He wondered the hallways, lost in thought, and eventually found himself outside Number Three's cell. He peered inside and saw that Number Three was now unconscious and unbound from the wall. She had fallen forward in an undignified position but nothing about her life was dignified right now.

Last night he tried to think of his future here but in truth he couldn't see him working past his contract but he also didn't want to leave Number Three to be used up until she was deemed useless and killed.

That wasn't fair on any of the Diclonious.

His gut told him to do something, to act on impulse and break down the walls of this hellhole and set every last Diclonious free but in truth he knew that would cause more harm than good. Just before they lost the will to live most Diclonious would be consumed by rage and attempt to use up every last ounce of energy in breaking out of their prisons. People had died in his time here because they got careless and an angry Diclonious usually left a gory mess in her wake.

No, freeing them all would be reckless

But just one would satisfy him.


	2. Chapter 2: Acting on Impulse

**Chapter Two:**

**Act on Impulse**

Kurama entered the observation room earlier than everyone else. They knew what he was doing, it was on the security cameras every time he did it, but what he did in his free time wasn't their business and it wasn't hurting anyone.

He approached the microphone used to communicate with Number Three in the room and tapped it twice. Number Three was sleeping in a corner, uncovered without any bedding or clothing of any kind, but her head perked up at the noise. She knew it to be Kurama, it was how he let her know he was here.

"Good morning," Kurama said softly in the microphone, "Sleep well?" The small girl rose slightly and stretched her arms above her head. Kurama noticed how thin she was getting, it seemed she had been eating less and less each meal for weeks now. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold," he heard her say faintly as she rubbed her eyes.

In truth he never had much to talk about. Asking her how she was, was pointless because he knew she was in hell but unlike him she was an unwilling participant in its schemes. So instead he did something that he thought was a kindness, she may have been just four but her mind was as developed as an elementary schooler and so he decided to put that intelligence to good use and brought in old textbooks he had put in his attic from his high school years.

They were tacky but they kept her morale up and gave her something to focus on other than the impending day of experimentation and abuse. Unsurprisingly she was a very bright child and had grasped basic math and Japanese in mere days.

For the next hour Number Three paced the room, answering questions as Kurama read them to her and used his own correct answers for references. As usual however his time was up too quickly and Kakuzawa and the others began to enter the room and today's experiments would begin.

**Three Months Later**

As Kurama peered into Number Three's chamber one late afternoon his mind began to think of home on the mainland with his wife. He and his wife had been trying for a baby for some time now but to no avail. In his mind Kurama was ready to become a father, ready to love and protect a child of his own but he now wondered if his desire to protect had simply moved to Number Three.

During his months since he first arrived here he had been working on the same group of Diclonious and watched with disgust as they were continuously used and abused by their captors but through it all he paid special attention to Number Three and did his best to keep her sane though he could feel her slipping away.

Perhaps it was simply pity or even an obsession but his mind told him that protecting this girl was right but keeping her sane through this ordeal was becoming harder, she had even become less and less active during their lessons and would spend most of her time together sitting in between the wall bindings with her head between her legs as if waiting for the days torture to begin.

It wouldn't be long before she was just another body for the incinerator and ashes in the wind. Perhaps it was time to think like a Diclonious and act on impulse?

"Professor Kurama," said a voice behind him, "What brings you down to this level?"

Kurama snapped back to reality and turned to face the voice behind him. It was one of his cohorts who had been given the task of feeding Number Three today. "Nothing, everyone upstairs is on a break so I came down to wait on you," he lied, "I was just wondering-uh-what you-you feed them?"

"Miso soup and bread with some nutrients mixed in to keep them healthy," he was told, it looked appetising enough though he would probably choose something else if he could.

Kurama eyed the armed guard beside the scientists. "Is that really necessary when she's unconscious?" he indicated to his high calibre pistol.

"If you like your head on your shoulders then yeah," the guard said and smiled, "Sorry professor but we need to move this along before she wakes up."

"Of course," Kurama stepped out of the way, "In fact, I'll come in if you don't mind?"

The scientist gave Kurama a questionable look, "You don't need to put yourself at risk," he cautioned, "This girl will kill you in a second if you get too close."

"I'll stay behind the man with the gun then," he said with a nervous smile.

"Well it's not my right to stop you sir but if she gets antsy then you run and shut the door even if we're still inside," Kurama nodded and the three men entered. This was the first time he had been in this room. It smelled of blood and a faint hint of the knockout gas still lingered but it was only enough to make him rub his eyes. "I'll collect the iron balls first," the scientist said and moved towards Number Three who was still unconscious.

Kurama eyed the guard who had his hand hovering above his gun just in case. His earlier train of thought caught up with him. In front of him was an opportunity, the guard was focused on the girl in front of him and even so he would never expect an attack from behind.

Perhaps now it was time to act on impulse?

Kurama didn't even blink before he acted. He charged at the guard and punched him on the back of the head, venting months of rage and hatred into the blow, and sent him falling to the ground and unconscious. Kurama picked up his gun and aimed it at the scientist who had turned around at the commotion.

"What the fuck Kurama?!" the professor said, his eyes wide with shock, "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what any decent human being should do, I'm getting Number Three out of this shit hole," he shouted, "Now get on the ground before I shoot you!"

The man got on his belly. "Kurama she's a killer," he warned him, "She's not a victim here-" Suddenly a heavy metal ball collided with the scientist's head and blood and brain matter exploded across the floor as the man's body shook and convulsed. The same thing quickly happened to the guard before Kurama managed to turn around and aim his gun at Number Three who was on her hands and knees, looking straight a Kurama with nothing but rage and tears in her red eyes.

"Are you going to shoot me mister?" she said in an eerily calm tone. Kurama stood, his hands shaking, as he faced down the Diclonious in front of him. "You had better kill me before I kill you."

"I don't care if you kill me," Kurama said sharply, "I don't care because-because I'll have died trying to do something more than watch you suffer but we don't have much time before we're discovered so make up your mind to die here or die trying to claim your freedo!m?" He wondered if this was even a good idea anymore seeing as she had just killed two grown men without even touching them and yet she was completely unfazed by their deaths.

However, this obviously wasn't what she had expected him to say and her expression changed from anger to curiosity. "I know your voice," she said in almost a whisper, "Are you the one who's been teaching me things?"

Kurama nodded, "Yes I'm him," Kurama watched as the girl stood up, "I'm the one who speaks to you."

She smiled almost wistfully. "You know…when I close my eyes I always thought I could see your face but the way you look in reality is kinder," she seemed to relax as she spoke, "In my dreams you always speak to me too in that kind voice, you always make me feel like someone cares about me."

"I-I'm glad," Kurama said with a smile, suddenly feeling less tense.

"You said you were here to help me?" Kurama nodded, "Am I going home?"

"No," he said bluntly, "No…but I'm going to take you away from here and maybe find a new home if I can," he told her, "But only if you promise me one thing?"

"What?"

"You can't kill anyone," he said in a serious tone, "You were put here because you killed your family but I know how horrible they were to you, it's all in your file, if I had the gifts you have then I might have done the same to stop my suffering."

Kurama had read her file like he would a horror story. This was before he fully grasped the destructive powers of Vectors and the very notion of a three year old girl ripping her parents apart with her mind was something out of a Manga. But she had been a victim before her arrival here, her appearance alone frightened her parents and athough they gave her a home they were neglectful but liberal with punishment. After being beaten for as long as she could remember her sudden ability to use Vectors must have been a blessing once she realised how they could be used.

It was the same for most of the Diclonious here. Abusive parents often led them to feel hatred towards people and when they suddenly obtain these new, amazing powers that can make the people who hurt them go away then any child with a bad upbringing would use it if not taught the weight of a life.

He hoped it wasn't too late for Number Three and that he could somehow prove that it was nurture, not nature, which made her kill in the past. "Your freedom depends on whether or not I believe your answer," he said resolutely, "I'll know if you're lying to me as well, whether or not you leave depends on you now."

To his surprise the girl ran full pelt at him. He had no time to react and within seconds he was within her two metre range and he closed his eyes, expecting death to swiftly follow.

But it didn't…

Instead he felt a small body press up against his own and arms fly around his waist as racking sobs reached his ears. "I promise," she pleaded, "I'll be a good girl now, I promise!"

"Please…please take me away from here!"

Kurama was taken aback. He hadn't heard of a Diclonious not killing someone when they were within reach of their Vectors. Maybe it was down to nurturing after all?

"Okay," Kurama said softly and put his hands on her back, "I-I believe you but you need to stay close, okay?" Kurama knelt down in front of Number Three and took off his lab coat and wrapped it around the naked child in front of him. "It's a little big," he admitted.

"I can fix that," suddenly the bottom of the jacket tore off as Number Three spoke. Kurama jumped back and Number Three seemed to cower too, "I'm sorry, was that bad?" She had used her Vectors to adjust the coat to her size by tearing off the fabric at the bottom.

Kurama shook his head, "Warn me next time though, okay?" she nodded quickly and gave a small smile, "Right, follow me."

Kurama would have been lying if he said he wasn't a little bit uneasy around her right now but even if he decided to give up on his mission of liberation he knew it was too late. It was doubtless that a squad was already being mustered and if they were caught he knew that one or both of them would be killed.

Kurama scooped up his charge into his arms when she fell behind. Years of Track in high school had done him some good it seemed but it was also helpful that Number Three was so light which was probably due to malnourishment.

"Shit, I should have thought this through better," Kurama said to himself as he ran through the halls, "Think Kurama, how do we get out of here?"

Suddenly the alarm went off and Kurama realised that he had lost his golden time to escape. "Think Kurama," he told himself again, "There has to be a way!"

He couldn't fly a helicopter and he wasn't sure if there were boats docked that he could get too without bloodshed but boats seemed like the smartest choice. "You might have to kill to escape," he told himself, "Even though you made her promise not too, Number Three might have to kill as well."

"Senpai watch out!"

Number Three's warning came too late. A guard had found them and he pulled out his gun. "Drop the girl Kurama and get down on your knees if you want to live!"

Kurama turned to run but that escape was blocked by another guard. "I said down Kurama!"

"Senpai what do we do?" Number Three looked panicked, he feared what she might do.

Kurama acted quickly and fired a shot at the guard. It hit him on the leg and the guard behind him started firing. The bullets never hit him however and in that moment of realisation he felt Number Three tug at his shirt.

"Senpai," Number Three said softly, "I…I've been lying to you."

"What do you mean?" Kurama had an idea though when he noticed the bullets were missing him and Number Three entirely.

"My Vectors are stronger than you think," she told him. Suddenly a bullet fragment went flying towards the guard and hit him square in the knee, sending him doubling over in pain. The two downed guards began to fire at the pair but for some reason their aim was always off, they didn't even get close in this confined space.

Then it hit him.

Number Three's Vectors had indeed grown but she had been hiding her progress. "Why did you hide your growth?" he asked her as they ran past the downed guards, "You could have saved yourself from so much pain?"

"I-I was waiting for the right moment to escape myself," she confessed, "I didn't think anyone would help me."

More guards had arrived but their bullets always missed and Number Three used their own bullets to put them down but without killing them. Her aim was better than his so Kurama decided to save his own precious ammo.

"Amazing," Kurama said with a smile, "Four years old and your already thinking like an adult."

She smiled at him, "Thank you Senpai." The guards were dispatched and Kurama set off at a run, praying that they wouldn't bleed out before someone got to them. A part of him was sad that he was using Number Three as a weapon but he told himself they would both have to fight for her freedom.

They reached a door leading to the main courtyard where the helicopter would usually land but even if it was there Kurama would sooner crash it than fly it. What waited there instead however was a heavily armed group of men in body armour. Kurama stopped, fearful of how this might end.

"That's enough Kurama," said a familiar voice and his old friend, Yu Kakuzawa, walked to the front of the formation, "I didn't want to believe you could act so rashly but if you put her down right now you can go back to your wife alive and well."

"Kakuzawa," Kurama said with a growl, "She isn't dangerous, look," he indicated to Number Three who was sitting in his arm with her arms on his shoulders for support.

"She's using you Kurama," cautioned Kakuzawa, "As soon as you reach the mainland she'll turn on you and start killing again, that's what Diclonious do, they exist to eradicate humanity."

"Their nature wouldn't be too blame, if anyone is to blame it's us," Kurama shouted, "It would be our fault because we were the ones that taught her humans were bad thanks to your sick experiments," he shook his head and looked at Number Three, "We raised them," he stroked her head and watched as she nuzzled his hand, "Not their parents or good people so they have no idea what's right or wrong."

"What we do is all for the greater good," Kakuzawa shouted back, "Don't waste this chance to keep living Kurama, put the girl down and surrender and we won't kill her either."

Kurama shook his head. "I'm sorry Kakuzawa but I knew there was a risk I would die trying to get off this island," he raised his gun and the soldiers in front of him did the same.

"Hold your fire," Kakuzawa told them, "Kurama these are armour piercing rounds," he told his friend, "They will fly faster and hit harder, no Diclonious at her age has been able to deflect it."

Kurama looked at Number Three, whose red eyes met his. He saw her determination, her desire to be free was evident and if her resolve wouldn't falter then neither would his. He fired his gun at the nearest soldier and got him right in the head. He hadn't aimed for it though and the sudden realisation that he had killed the man immediately sunk in.

"Senpai I'm using my Vectors!" Before he could react to this Number Three jumped out of his arms and charged at the group of soldiers who were in disarray at their comrade's death.

"Fire you idiots, eyes forward!" Kakuzawa shouted but it was too late. A sea of red suddenly formed as body parts began to fly in every direction. Heads rolled, limbs flew, insides became outside and screams of agony filled the air as Number Three stood, motionless, in the middle of it all.

Ten men died in a matter of seconds, leaving Kakuzawa stunned on the floor. "Damn you," he said with a shaking voice, blood covered him almost from head to toe and the same could be said for Number Three, "You animal, they had families you wretched little bitch!"

With a blood curdling scream Kakuzawa's head twisted around and with a crack and tearing of flesh it separated from his body, sending a fountain of blood spewing out of the hole in his neck.

Kurama watched, wide eyed and stunned, as Number Three turned to face him. Her face was expressionless and her demeanour was calm which scared him more than any loaded gun to the head did.

"Senpai," she said softly, "I'm sorry…"

Kurama blinked and snapped back to his senses. "You…you…killed them…"

Number Three had started to cry again, "I'm sorry Senpai," she pleaded, "They were going to kill you!"

Kurama swallowed hard and stood up on shaky feet. He approached Number Three and looked down at the bloodstained child in front of him. She had already broken her promise but it was to protect him. Despite that though she had to understand the weight of every human soul and know that protecting him didn't mean killing everyone who put him in danger.

"We have to move," he picked up Number Three and ran with her towards where the boats would be kept. He focused on finding an unoccupied boat and was lucky to find one just as it pulled in. He raised his gun and pulled the man off the boat and into the water before he could turn off the engine.

Within seconds he had turned the boat around and headed away from the island and the nearby town of Kamakura, it would be the first place they would look for him. He searched along the boat for a tracking device and found it underneath in the steering wheel so he broke it with the butt of his gun.

"We did it Number Three," he told his charge who had her head down glumly, "You're free."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Are you angry?" Number Three asked him, "Because I broke our promise?"

Kurama sighed and petted her head. "We both would have died if you hadn't done it, I can see that," he assured her, "And don't forget, I killed a man too," right now he was barely holding back his own tears for the life he had taken, "We both broke the promise in the end."

"So you don't hate me?"

Kurama shook his head, "But how did you feel when you killed them?"

She took a moment to think of her answer. "It's a bad thing isn't it?" Kurama nodded in affirmation, "The bad man said they had families, it's sad that they won't see them again."

"It is," he told her, "I'm glad you can understand that on your own Number Three."

She turned to face him and smiled, "My name's Sanban."

Kurama smiled, "You can call me Kurama," he looked her in the eyes, "Let's try not to break our promise again okay, if we do then it has to be the last possible choice."

Sanban nodded, "For you, I promise Kurama-Senpai."


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Wind

**Chapter Three:**

**Into the Wind**

It had been the better part of a night since their escape from the facility and Kurama had parked his boat just off the coast as far as he could go until the fuel became too low. Number Three, or Sanban as he learned her name was, had fallen asleep. It seemed using her Vectors back at the facility had tired her out.

"Sanban," he said softly as he picked the Diclonious child up, "We need to find a place to lie low now."

Sanban opened her eyes but they were still droopy. "Are we home?" she asked sleepily.

"Not yet," he told her, "But we'll find it." Suddenly the last words of Yu Kakuzawa echoed in Kurama's mind.

_She's using you Kurama, as soon as you reach the mainland she'll turn on you and start killing again._

Sanban nodded and closed her eyes again. Kurama shook his head of the thoughts and walked along the pier of the small port town they had stopped in. He knew they would be searching the coast eventually and that the boat would be found but doing it at night was harder so he could risk sleeping in a real bed tonight before moving further inland tomorrow.

The town was empty due to it being so late at night which was a blessing because Sanban was still covered in blood. He didn't want to approach any motels with her looking like this so he made for the beach and headed towards the shoreline.

"You need to wash the blood off yourself," he told her and set her down. She stood up and he removed the blood stained coat from her. He sighed, regretting that he had nothing else to cover her with, "You can um…you can bathe properly once we find a motel to rest in."

Sanban knelt down in the shallow sea and proceeded to scrub herself clean of the blood. She hadn't resisted when he removed the jacket, exposing her in this public space, and Kurama reasoned it was probably because of her time in the facility without even a stitch of clothing.

With that thought of clothing future expenses ran through his mind. Food, clothing and motel costs would mean he needed money. The facility, hopefully, didn't have the power to lock his bank account he hoped but he would take out as much as he could.

"I'm clean," she said, shivering in the cold.

Kurama handed her back the jacket. "We'll need to find something better for you to wear," he told her once she was dressed, "Come on, I think I saw a clothes shop on the beach front."

They wondered back into the town proper and Kurama noticed a line of closed shops along the beach that sold a variety of things from groceries to souvenirs. He was glad to find a clothes shop along this beachfront and went around the back to where the unsold clothes were awaiting pickup for a charity shop.

"This is good," he told Sanban as he opened a box filled with dresses, "Pick one," he encouraged her, "Any you like." Kurama almost laughed. Just this morning he had been a law abiding citizen but in the space of a day he had killed a man and was now stealing from a charity drop.

"What would my wife think," he thought. Suddenly guilt weighted down on him, his wife would be worried that he hadn't come home. "Should I call? No that would be stupid, I'd only get her involved." He looked at his wedding ring and sighed, "If I'm going to go into hiding I can't have anything that can lead to her." He slid the ring off his finger and pocketed it, whispering an apology as he returned his attention to Sanban.

Sanban smiled cheerfully as she looked through the contents of the box. She picked a nice, white flower patterned pink dress that matched her hair colour and happily put it on after discarding the ruined lab coat with Kurama made sure to throw away in the trash.

While she had been searching through the dresses Kurama made the effort to look for something more particular and gratefully found a loose fitting hat that would cover her horns. She took it and put it on her head, looking much more normal for it.

Next Kurama found a bank terminal to withdraw some money. Thankfully his account hadn't been touched and took out as much as he could. With his wallet now full of cash and Sanban dressed in something other than a bloodstained coat he went with her to look for a motel.

"We need to buy shoes and underwear too," he told Sanban as they walked, "Nothing fancy though but you can choose your own cheap pair of shoes."

Sanban smiled again, "Thank you Kurama-senpai."

Eventually Kurama found a motel that was open. It was an old building with wood panelling and sliding doors inside. The desk clerk was slumped over reception with a cigarette in his hand. Kurama approached the desk and waited for the man to take notice…but he didn't. He cleared his throat with a cough, hoping that would work but that didn't either.

"Excuse me mister," Sanban spoke up, "Are you awake?"

A grunt escaped him and he lifted his head. "What?" a drop of ash fell off his cigarette and landed on the wooden desk.

"My-uh-daughter and I need a room," Sanban gave him a cheeky smile but Kurama turned her head away from him with one hand, "Do you have any?"

The man grunted again and looked through a list. "Just the honeymoon suite," he said with a slight chuckle, "Single bed."

"Nothing else?" the man shook his head, "How much?"

"500 yen per head a night," he told him.

Kurama nodded his head in appreciation, "Thank you very much."

"Thank you mister," Sanban said sweetly. Kurama paid for the room and found it on the top floor. Inside was a single, queen sized bed with curtains on the window and a TV and sofa against the left wall. A door to the bathroom was to the right. The view outside stretched down to the beach and across the ocean. If he hadn't been with a child he might have called it romantic.

"Wow," Sanban ran towards the bed and threw herself on it. Chances are she hadn't slept in a real bed in months. She rolled onto her back and placed her hands on her chest, breathing happily as she looked at the ceiling, "So comfy."

"These rooms are usually reserved for newlyweds," Kurama explained as he looked around, "You know, husbands and wives who just got married."

Another cheeky smile spread across Sanban's face but Kurama could tell what she was thinking. "We're not married," he stated quickly, "You can have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

He wasn't planning on sleeping tonight just in case Sanban decided to make a run for it though if she was truly desperate to escape he couldn't do much to stop her. Once again Kakuzawa's last words to him creeped into his mind.

_She's using you Kurama…_

He didn't want to believe it but now he wished he had picked up one of those automatic rifles with armour piercing rounds, they could have been a lifesaver if Sanban had been using him like Kakuzawa said…

The morning came without incident however and they ate a simple breakfast at a small beach café before going shopping. Sanban had wolfed down her food, another luxury she hadn't had at the facility was a varied diet.

Afterwards Kurama took her hand as they walked along the hot tarmac road. "We need shoes first," he told her, "So you don't get mistaken for an urchin." Sanban nodded and together they entered a small shop that sold sandals and other types of shoes. Sanban settled on a simple pair of running shoes and a pair of socks to go with them. Kurama allowed the store clerk at the clothing shop they were at last night to sort out the delicate things like underwear and the like.

By the time they had finished shopping it was nearly noon. "We should move on Sanban," Kurama told her, "If we stay in one place too long then the bad men will come looking."

Sanban nodded, "Where are we going then?"

"I think Tokyo is a good place to hide," he explained how the city was big and that you could easily slip off the radar there. "We'll dye your hair before we leave and get it cut," he told her, "I'll dye mine too, how about brown?"

Sanban looked up, "I think Senpai will suit brown, can I have it brown too?"

"Why?"

"So I can be his daughter," she gave him another smile, "It'll be easier to explain why we're together right?"

Kurama nodded and petted Sanban on the head, "I keep forgetting how mature you are," he rubbed her head, "Alright let's cut your hair as well?"

"Okay."

Kurama and Sanban sat in the bathroom of the motel. Kurama finished dying both their hair brown and began cutting her hair once it was set. He wanted it to look shorter and more boyish because it would be hard for the people looking for her to know the difference.

Half an hour later and Kurama stood up. "Done," he said with a smile, "It might look a little…well…crappy."

"If Senpai did it then it'll be perfect," she stated and stood up to look in the mirror. He had to admit that cutting around the horns had been tough but he reasoned that she would be wearing a hat most of the time.

That night Kurama slept beside her on the bed. Her new hair colour looked strange on her but it was only because he was used to her old pink colour. She didn't try to escape that night either and he even managed to sleep safely.

He woke up in the morning with Sanban still fast asleep beside him. As far as he could tell she hadn't moved and inch and was still snuggled close to Kurama. In his mind he told himself that maybe she was safe after all, that the promise they made had meant something.

He sat up and pulled out a rice ball from the minibar fridge for breakfast. Sanban woke up not long after he finished eating and once she was fed he packed up their supplies in a newly bought rucksack and left the motel, making for the bus stop.

They walked hand in hand.

And were gone into the wind.


	4. Chapter 4: Disappear

_I hope you guys enjoy the coming chapters. Reviews would be a great help for me in this series but overall I wish to thank my editor for spotting hiccups in my grammar and dyslexia induced boo boo's. I will admit this is turning into a bit of a Slice of Life but it was planned to go this way and I hope the character development is believable and interesting._

_Chapters 5 and 6 are written but are currently unedited but expect them with in the week :)_

**Chapter Four:**

**Disappear**

The train doors opened with a loud hiss and the usual push and shove to get off started. Kurama kept a firm grip on Sanban's hand so she wasn't dragged away from him and they soon stepped onto the platform and into the fresh air.

"Is this Tokyo?" Sanban asked, rubbing her eyes of sleep.

Kurama nodded, "We'll need to find a motel for the night," he told her, "Once we're there I have to go out for a while, can I trust you to be left alone for a couple of hours?" He worried that she would break out in his absence, that her true agenda would come through and she would begin her crusade against humanity anew but she had just sat on a train for a number of hours without causing so much as a fuss, in fact she slept through the journey like most kids would.

Sanban looked up at him nervously. "Why can't I come with you?"

"I've got to visit a friend from my college days," Kurama crouched down and placed his hands on her shoulders, "It'll only be for a couple of hours, I promise, so be brave for me okay?"

"I'll be brave," she said with a stern look, "I'll protect our stuff."

Kurama laughed at the reason she gave, "Good girl."

They wondered the city on foot for about an hour, stopping briefly to buy essentials, before finding a motel with a free room so he bought one up under a fake name. Kurama packed everything away in the closet and Sanban settled on the couch.

"I won't be too long, are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Sanban rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on a pillow, "See you later."

Leaving her gave him an uneasy feeling but if he was going to ever trust her then he would have had to take this risk eventually. He wondered down to the main desk and approached the woman there.

"Excuse me, I need to go out for a couple of hours and I'm leaving my daughter here," he told her, "I hate to impose but would be able to check on her a couple of times while I'm out?"

The receptionist nodded, "Not a problem sir, what's your room number?" Kurama told her and she wished him a nice evening.

Kurama approached the block of apartments. It was a high rise building that probably housed more than twenty families but he was sure that his friend stayed here alone. He had called earlier and had made up a story about staying in Tokyo on business for the Research Facility and thought about looking him up.

He found the apartment specified and knocked on the door. Kurama didn't have to wait long before a spectacled man at around his age opened the door, he was thin with red dyed hair and seemed to be going for the punk look with various piercings around his face but the glasses screamed nerd.

"Kurama," he said with a happy smile, "It's been, like, forever buddy!"

"Kasaki," they shook hands and Kurama was invited in, "Did you dye your hair?"

"Yeah, I see you did as well," he ran a hand through his own wavy hair. Kurama removed his shoes and was invited to sit down on the couch while Kasaki took the lounger facing his TV directly. "So what brings you to Tokyo?"

"Nothing good Kasaki," Kurama said with a sorry smile, "Truth be told I'm a bit of a bind and I can't think of anyone else to come too."

"Oh?" Kasaki leaned back and smiled, "Pray tell, what happened?"

Kurama almost laughed as the last few days soared though his mind a vision of still images with sounds and screams. "A lot," Kurama looked glumly at his feet, "But a little girl and I are in some big trouble with some bad men and we need your help."

"That sounds heavy man," Kasaki sat forward with his hands clasped, "But don't worry about it, what can I do?"

"Do you still hack?" Kurama asked bluntly and to his relief Kasaki gave him a wicked smile.

"I think I get it," Kasaki got up and approached his friend, "You need me to make Kurama disappear right, give you a new name and such?" Kurama nodded and apologised for imposing, "Hey, I never would have got through college without your mentoring so the way I see it is I owe you." Kurama got up and almost hugged Kasaki. "Let's go see if we can get rid of Kurama, got a name in mind, it'll have to be something common?"

Kurama nodded. "Yuito Endo," he told him, he had used the name to get a room at the motel as well, "I also need you to look up a girl called Sanban."

"Sanban?" Kurama nodded, "Who names their kid after the number three?" Kasaki sat down at a computer and within minutes he began his work. *_Sanban is Japanese for 'Three,' like Nana from the manga means Seven._

Kurama wasn't surprised that the Sanban he knew never turned up in any database of any kind. She had stopped existing as soon as the Facility got their hands on her but that only made it easier to create her new identity and he was able to supply passport photos because he had stopped at a photo booth before finding a room at the hotel.

Eventually Kasaki finished his work and Kurama no longer existed on the database but Yuito Endo had officially become a citizen of Japan along with his daughter Akane Endo who had been living abroad for the last three years in America but returned to Japan when his wife passed away.

Kasaki was good, he had created an entire past for Kurama's new alias and made it pretty damn convincing. "I'll get to work on things like passports and social security numbers so lie low for a couple of days and I'll bring them to your motel room." Kurama nodded in agreement and gave his friend the address.

"You also might want to call your wife," he said in a soft tone, "Say your goodbyes."

Kurama nodded and left, thanking Kasaki immensely. He returned to the motel to find Sanban asleep on the sofa with words of praise at how well behaved she was from the kind receptionist. He slipped her a generous tip in thanks for going out of her way.

He sat down at the end of the sofa and pulled his head back with a tired sigh. "This is it Kurama," he told himself, "You're now officially a new man." He reached down into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He never left it off his person and had managed to escape the Facility with it.

With shaking hands he dialled home and waited for an answer. "Hello Kurama residence?" said a familiar voice.

"Hiromi, it's me," he said into the phone, his voice was shaking. What came next was unexpected.

"You, how dare you call this number everything you've done!"

"Hiromi what are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that crap," she shouted, "Your employers told me you killed ten of your co-workers and your own best friend. You're all over the news, tell me it's a lie Kurama tell me you're innocent."

So she had been fed a sack of lies to cover up for Sanban's killings. The Facility were using him as a scape goat to cover up any supernatural involvement and thus keep the Diclonious a secret. In truth however if she hated him then it would be easier for Hiromi to forget about him.

"I did it Hiromi," he said into the mouthpiece, "I-I killed those men."

Silence followed for a few uneasy seconds. "Why Kurama?"

Kurama swallowed heavily, "You won't hear from me again Hiromi, I'm sorry."

"Kurama no-" he hung up the phone and with a cry he threw it against the wall, smashing it. This woke up Sanban who looked around in panic only to see Kurama with his head in his hands, sobbing frantically.

"Senpai?" she said and crawled up to him, "Why are you crying?"

Kurama looked at her and the first thing he thought was 'it's all your fault' but in his heart he knew it wasn't true, he had decided to choose her over his own life and now he would live with this decision and the guilt of how many people it would hurt.

"It's nothing for you to worry about Sanban," he told her and straightened himself out, "Let's order some dinner, how does takeout sound?"

"So what's your name now?" Kurama asked Sanban.

"Akane Endo," she replied, "I'm your daughter and I was born in America."

"Right," he rubbed her head, a habit he had picked up whenever he was happy with her and she seemed to relish in the affection, "And who am I?"

"Yuito Endo," as expected she was quick to pick things up. They sat eating leftover takeout for breakfast, it wasn't very healthy but Sanban seemed to love the idea. "Do I have to call you that in private?"

Kurama nodded, "We should make it a habit," he told her, "But we have to be extra careful when we're around other people." Sanban nodded her understanding.

"Can I go to school?" she asked him. The question caught Kurama off guard and he almost choked on his food, "Is that okay Senpai?"

Kurama rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Let me be honest with you Akane," he said, using her new name, "I don't think I trust you to be around other kids." When she asked why Kurama tried to be as sensitive as possible with his reply. "When you get angry what do you feel like doing?" She seemed to realise what he meant, "So you see, kids can be crueller than adults, I know you don't want to hurt anyone but when people get angry we tend to lose control, even adults."

"But I promised not to kill unless I absolutely had too!"

"I'm sorry Akane but it's not a good idea right now," he said sternly, "I can home school you."

"But what about money, you need to work?"

Kurama couldn't believe he hadn't thought about that. If he was going to seriously try and raise Sanban then he would need a job to buy a place to live and when he was working he couldn't just leave Sanban at home like a pet all on her own, the isolation back at the facility almost drove her insane.

"Damn," Kurama sad under his breath, "You're right." If he called a babysitter through the day then she would wonder why she wasn't attending school and hiring a teacher to home school was expensive.

"Alright," he said despite his fears, "You're right, I need to find work and we need to start living like a normal family which means trusting you to be on your own in public."

Just then a knock came at the door and Kurama wondered over to look through the spyhole. Thankfully it was Kasaki who held up a brown envelope to the spyhole and smiled, "Delivery for Yuito Endo."

Kurama unlocked the door and let his friend in. "It's all sorted," he assured Kurama as he joined them for breakfast, "I double checked everything and got out without so much as leaving a bit out of place, you and your kid here are now the Endo family of Tokyo."

He eyed Sanban and winked, she blushed. "So when did you and Hiromi have a kid?"

"She's not my kid," Kurama admitted, "You probably saw the news right?"

Kasaki nodded, "It involves her right?"

"I can't go into details Kasaki, for your own good, but the blunt side of the story is people were torturing her and I did whatever I could to get her out," he explained.

"Is that so," he looked at Sanban again, "Where are you from little lady?"

"America," she said. Kurama chuckled, just like they practiced when talking to strangers.

Kasaki laughed, "You two are just full of secrets but whatever I have my own so I won't pry unless I want to be a hypocrite."

"I'm very grateful," Kurama made sure to say, "Did the photos come out okay?"

"Yeah about your photo," Kasaki motioned to the envelope, "Even with the new hair colour you look like the same old Kurama, I took the liberty of adding some glasses onto your passport photo."

Kurama looked at the photo and there was indeed a pair of rectangle glasses covering his face. "You sure no one will notice the tampering?"

"Hey, I'm pretty good with a computer Kurama, trust me." He reached into a bag he brought with him and pulled out a glasses case, "These are my old glasses, I replaced the lens with normal glass so you should be able to see out of them just fine." He also handed Sanban something, "I'm not sure how common bright red eyes are," he said to her, "But you'll stand out more because of them so wear these contacts, they'll make your eyes look like Kurama's."

"I also changed the eye colour on your photo," he assured her as Sanban opened up the small case and carefully picked up the blue contact lenses. "I found them at a costume store, they're cheap so make sure you moisturise your eyes if they get too dry."

Kurama opened up the case he was given and slipped the glasses on, "I owe you one I never would have noticed these things myself." He watched as Sanban put on her new contacts, she looked like a completely different person with blue eyes.

"Hey, anything for a friend," he patted Kurama on the shoulder, "But tell me, have you thought about finding work?"

"I'm a scientist," Kurama said with a shrug, "More often than not that turns out to be high profile and I'd rather avoid the spotlight so I might settle for a cosy desk job."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Kasaki gave Kurama a toothy grin, "I got you an interview with the company I work for, it's nothing too complicated though just typing up reports but its low profile."

Kurama nodded, "I can do that," he stood up and offered Kasaki a hand, "I owe you Kasaki, if you need anything from me then just ask." Kasaki nodded his understanding and told Kurama how to get to his company and that he had three days to prepare then left.

Kurama sat back down beside Sanban. "He's nice," she said to him, "Who was he?"

"A godsend," Kurama told her, "You see, not all adults are bad."

"Yup."

Over the next few says Kurama made great progress in setting up his new life. He had mastered writing his signature and had taught Sanban how to do it as well but her lack of education meant she could neither read nor write at all save for her signature.

Kurama decided she would have to go to Elementary School but explaining her growth spurts would be probably be an issue so he classed her age group as ten or eleven as there was likely a few kids that age her size and hopefully her growth spurts would level out when she reached High School.

Kurama found he enjoyed thinking of her future. To him it made her seem more human and that if they really stuck with it she could be a normal kid without ever using her Vectors again. Despite that though her Vectors were a part of her and she used them for small things like picking things up and the like but she was always so gentle.

Regardless he did his best to impress the dangers of using them in public. If she did she would probably be discovered and either killed or imprisoned again but it seemed that the thought of imprisonment alone was enough to convince her.

With that considerable hurdle out of the way Kurama set about renting an apartment. Kasaki had been adamant in that they should live in the same building as him and Kurama was quite happy to oblige, in the coming days he would need friends and keeping the only man who knew who he was close was also smart.

So he rented a two bedroom apartment with its own bathroom and kitchen appliances included for a reasonable price. He had nailed the interview and would begin working tomorrow as well.

Kurama sat down on the sofa with a nice cold beer along with Kasaki. Sanban was in her room putting away various new clothes and school supplies. "Thanks for the help moving the furniture up," Kurama was sweating.

"Anything for a free beer," Kasaki opened his and took a couple of deep gulps. Kurama followed suit and felt the exertions of the day simply disappear. They had bought food, bed sheets, clothes and all manner of necessities to make their new apartment into a home. They had forgone spending Kurama's savings on luxuries like a TV but he had decided to buy some children's books for Sanban who would need them to practice her reading.

The school he had enrolled her in was understanding of her inability to read or write properly in Japanese but her fake American upbringing easily explained that and so she would most likely be given extra help from the teachers.

It was all set in motion

Their new life was beginning


	5. Chapter 5: School

Hello again dear readers. Chapters 5 and 6 have been edited so expect chapter 6 tomorrow. Chapter 7 is done and Chapter 8 is halfway or so. I don't know how much longer this series will go on but I have an ending in mind just no real idea when to end it.

Please let me know what you guys think :)

**Chapter 5:**

**School**

_"__No, please I don't want to get hurt, I'm scared!"_

_Sanban pleaded with the men behind the glass but all they did was watch as the cannon was lowered. Sanban looked down at herself and realised that she was once again naked in the Facility that had captured her._

_"__Firing at three hundred joules," said an eerily familiar voice._

_"__No, it hurts please!" Sanban struggled in her bonds only to receive a painful electric shock._

_"__Stay still," said a different voice, "You'll only hurt yourself more."_

_"__Firing," the voice said and Sanban screamed as the heavy metal ball sped towards her._

_"__No!" Sanban sat up in her bed as her lamp went flying past her, inches from her face, and smashed against the wall._

She suddenly woke up and looked around before she realised was in her room, not the Facility.

Another nightmare. She put her face in her hands and was overcome with racking sobs. "You're home," she told herself with a quivering voice, "The bad man is dead because you killed him." This only calmed her down slightly however and as she looked at the smashed lamp she realised she had used her Vectors without realising.

The nightmare had never caused her to do that before, they were getting more and more real.

She wanted to go into Kurama's room and sleep beside him but if she had another nightmare she might hurt him without realising so she lay back down and closed her eyes, resolving to keep this episode a secret so not to worry Kurama.

Sanban woke up early that morning with no further nightmares. Today she was starting school which was something she had been looking forward too since Kurama said she could go. She got up and put on the uniform the school had provided her and made sure to put in her blue contact lenses then walked into the kitchen where Kurama was currently sitting and eating a bowl of rice. He had also been given a pair of glasses by his friend Kasaki who had been a great help in allowing them to stay hidden.

"Good morning," he said brightly, the glasses made him look different, no doubt, "All set for today?" Sanban nodded and helped herself to some of the rice and grilled fish which Kurama had made earlier. "Sorry if it's a little cold," he put down his bowl and used his chopsticks to put some fish on Sanban's side plate, "I'm not really a good cook either."

Sanban just smiled as she ate. "Anything you make is delicious Kurama-Senpai." Kurama smiled and stood up.

"I'll be driving in with Kasaki-San today," he told her, "Do you remember the way to school?" Sanban nodded as she ate, "And what's your name again?"

"Akane Endo," she said for the thousandth time, "I'll remember."

"Just making sure," he petted her on the head and left, leaving Sanban alone. It had been a week since they moved here and Kurama had started working a few days ago. This meant, until now, Sanban had been left alone all day and she had kept her promise to not go out alone but today Kurama had to trust her if he wanted to get to work on time.

In her alone time she would practice her reading. She had grasped the basics of writing Kanji but she still had a ways to go before she could be considered literate. She finished her breakfast and did the dishes then made sure she put on her hat before leaving the apartment and locking the door.

Too Sanban, Elementary School sounded wonderful. She had spent half a year locked up in the facility with very little human contact but now she would have the chance to make some friends. She remembered going to Day Care when she was younger but her memories of the time were very vague and it wasn't for very long as her parents had sought to that.

The memories of her parents were not happy ones however. They had been abusive and unloving to the point where Sanban was more of a punching bag than a daughter. Kurama had told her not to wish death on anyone but deep in her heart she only felt happy that they were gone and if she hadn't killed them she never would have met Kurama and be as happy as she was right now.

She left the apartment buildings and headed in the direction of her new school. The area she lived in was nice enough though she had had very little opportunity to explore save for looking at it from their apartment balcony. As she explored further away from the apartment, she realised that various other kids were heading in her direction with the girls all wearing a similar black sailor outfit.

"Other students," she said to herself. She watched as they walked alone or in groups, pairs or threes and laughed and joked with their friends. Sanban smiled wistfully as she watched them, she wanted people like that to have fun with.

No one looked at her twice though.

She followed the other students to the school and entered quickly while others simply waited on their friends outside or just loitered. She was told by Kurama to register at the principal's office where she would be given her timetable and class group. The only problem was she had no idea where to go.

She decided to approach someone and ask. "Excuse me," she said timidly to a girl who was changing out of her outside shoes and putting them into a locker, "I'm new here can you show me the way to the principal's office please?"

The girl turned around with a bored expression. "Just down the hall," she indicated to a door at the end of the hallway, "Good luck on your first day."

"Thank you," Sanban bowed her head and proceeded down the hallway. She knocked on the door and heard a voice say she could enter.

An older lady behind a desk smiled as Sanban approached the desk. "Can I help you?" she asked kindly and Sanban nodded, stating that she was a new student, "Ah, you must be Akane Endo." The woman pulled out a timetable from under her desk, "You're class group is 6-B," she told her, "But we don't allow hats to be worn in class," she stated and indicated to Sanban's hat with her pen.

Kurama had prepared her for this, "Is it okay if I wear it, before I came back to Japan I was in a car accident, I have a few bald spots and scars from it," it was a lie of course.

The lady twitched uncomfortably, "I see," she said and cleared her throat, "Are they that unsightly?" Sanban nodded, lowering her head for added effect so the lady wrote down something on a piece of paper, "Very well, Morita Sensei will be down shortly to take you to Homeroom, have a seat."

Within five minutes a middle aged teacher opened the door. She had her black hair tied into a bun with horn rimmed glasses. Her business suit consisted of a black jacket with a skirt and heels with a white shirt and red tie underneath. "Akane Endo?" she said as she approached Sanban.

"Yes," Sanban said timidly, "That's me."

"Glad to see you got here on time," she waited as Sanban stood up, "Follow me."

Sanban followed Morita-Sensei out of the room she was in and into the school proper. The school was very clean and official looking with white painted walls and the floors were a bright blue with a grey tint to them with windows all along the walls facing the outside. They stopped outside a room on the third floor.

"Stand outside and I'll call on you," Sanban nodded and waited and the teacher entered the classroom.

"Stand up," said a female student inside, "Bow," a few seconds passed, "Sit down." The room all sat down again indicated by the sound of scuffling chairs.

"Good morning class, today we have a new student, let's all try and make her feel welcome here," the teacher spoke sweetly, she much less strict than she looked, "Come in Akane-Chan," Sanban nervously walked into the room, all the while aware of the stares. She stopped just shy of the blackboard and bowed. "Why not introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?"

"Yes," Sanban bowed again, "My name is Akane Endo and I'm from America," she stated, "I've only recently moved to Japan."

"Your Japanese is rather fluent," the teacher stated, "Did you learn it back in America?"

"Yes," Sanban said, "My father taught me it."

"Akane-San, that's a nice hat!" piped up a male voice. Sanban bervously gripped the tip of it with one hand.

"Takeo-San," said a female student, "Don't be so rude!"

"Alright settle down, Akane-San why don't you sit behind Sumiko over there." It was the girl who had told off the boy for being rude. As Sanban approached the desk the student already there moved one space back though he seemed happier to be sitting near a boy who was his friend.

Sanban looked at the girl called Sumiko as she walked past, she had long brown hair and green eyes with fair facial features. The girl smiled as Sanban sat down, "Good morning," she said in English, "How are you?" Sanban blinked, she didn't know a word of English so she just nodded nervously and the girl continued, "My name is Sumiko Agawa," Sanban blushed heavily "Where are you from?"

Sanban drew a blank here. She had to improvise and fast. "Yes please thank you," she said, the only English she knew.

"Funny," the girl laughed as she switched back to Japanese, "Do you even know English?"

"I'd rather speak Japanese," she told the girl, "It helps me get better at it."

"Okay," the girl held out a hand, "I'm Sumiko Agawa," Sanban shook the hand and they both smiled, "Let's be friends, okay?"

"O-okay," Sanban put her hands on her lap.

"So where in America were you born, I've been learning English to go there this summer," Sumiko leaned on Sanban's desk, "I bet coming to Japan is a culture shock huh?"

Sanban was never given the name of her apparent hometown in America. "You wouldn't have heard of it," she stated, "But coming to Japan wasn't as bad as I thought." Sumiko looked at her hat all of a sudden and Sanban could tell what she was thinking, "I wear it to cover up some scars, I was in an accident."

"What happened?" Sumiko asked sympathetically, "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"Car accident back in America," she improvised rather well, "It's why my dad and I moved to Japan when my mother died." Lie upon lie, Sanban knew lying was wrong but in this case it was a necessary evil.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sumiko suddenly changed the sunject, "You're a little short for a Fifth Grader aren't you?"

"What kind of a thing to say is that?" Sanban thought to herself but restrained herself from acting surprised. "I-I get that a lot," she said with an embarrassed smile, "But I'm ten like you." That was a lie too, she was in fact only five but being a Diclonious meant she aged and matured faster.

The bell thankfully rang and the day officially began. She struggled throughout the day with words and lettering but thankfully her 'raised in America' excuse worked and no one gave her any grief and Sumiko was more than happy to help when she got stuck throughout the entire day.

When lunch rolled around Sanban suddenly realised she hadn't prepared anything for herself or had any money to buy food with like some students were doing. She was content to sit in silence until Sumiko turned her chair around and placed a Bento box on her desk.

"What have you got for lunch?" she asked as she opened her own.

Sanban blushed, "I forgot to make mine," she rubbed the back of her head nervously, "My dad didn't give me any money either."

"You don't have an allowance?" she shook her head, "Well that's okay, I'll share my Bento with you."

"You really don't have too, I'm used to skipping lunch." By skipping she meant never having it, the Facility only fed her morning and night. "Really, it's okay," Sanban started to protest but before she knew it Sumiko had slid the lid of her box over and placed two rice balls wrapped in seaweed on top of it.

"Is that enough?" Sanban continued to blush and Sumiko laughed, "Are you poor or something?"

"No…I don't think so," she said nervously, "I just don't feel right eating your food."

"Don't worry about it, we're friends," she picked up a rice ball and held it up to Sanban's mouth, "Come on Akane-Chan, yummy nummy." Sanban just giggled and leaned forward, taking a bite out of the rice ball, "There you go, eat up."

For the rest of the day Sanban sat in happiness as Sumiko continued to help her and keep her right. When the day ended she was a little sad that she couldn't be around Sumiko until tomorrow.

"Where do you stay?" Sumiko asked as they walked out of the school gate together. Sanban told her and she nodded, "I can walk with you, come on." The two walked together for a while whist getting to know one another until Sanban reached her apartment building, "See you tomorrow Akane-Chan, it was nice to meet you."

"You too," Sanban stated with a cheerful grin, "Thanks for helping me today, I'll pay you back for the rice balls."

Sumiko just smiled and waved goodbye before continuing on home. Sanban turned around and ran upstairs towards her apartment, using her key to open the door. Once inside she locked the door again and changed out of her uniform and into casual clothing. She had homework to do and finished that just as Kurama came home.

"Kurama-Senpai!" Sanban ran towards him and hugged him, "Today was incredible, I made a friend called Sumiko and she's really nice and no one asked me to take off my hat because I told them I had scars!"

Kurama was slightly taken aback by her exited rambling but he managed to understand what she said fairly well. "That's good," he said and petted her on the head, "I'm glad you made a friend and you did really well covering up your horns with the scar story."

"Thank you Senpai," Sanban looked him in the eyes, "I was wondering, can I have a Bento box tomorrow?"

"Oh…do parents usually make those?" Kurama asked with an apologetic look, "I'll try and make you one tomorrow."

"Thank you," another question came to mind, "Can I also have an allowance?"

"I don't see why not but why do you want one so suddenly?"

"When I didn't have lunch today my friend said to use my allowance to buy food," Sanban explained.

"An allowance isn't just for food, you can use it to buy other things," Kurama explained, "But I'll give you one if you do your chores and keep behaving like you are." Sanban thanked Kurama and together they finished their food and Sanban did the dishes.

Kurama smiled inwardly. Despite no longer working for the Facility he couldn't help but study her progress as she attempted to fit into society. She hadn't used her Vectors much in the last few days save for when Sanban knocked her cup off the table by accident but instead of smashing on the ground it hovered above the ground as if on an invisible wire and floated back onto the table.

Kurama just took a mental note that her Vectors were there and she would use them like any other limb. "I hope you understand the seriousness of not using your Vectors at school?"

"I know if I do then the bad men will find me," she hugged her arms to her chest, recalling the months she spent there, "I don't want to go back there, I'll do my best Senpai."

"I know you will," Kurama got up and moved over to Sanban to wrap his arms around her, "Come on, it's getting late."

Sanban wrapped her around Kurama

And gave a content sigh


	6. Chapter 6: Used for Good

_**In my attempts at using Japanese Honorific I may have mistakenly used Senpai to describe Kurama and so have changed the story and previous chapters (not yet updated here though) to use the more correct term, Oniisan. If this is still wrong forgive me, I wanted to try and make it seem like they were in Japan with the correct names and cultural quirks intact.**_

**Chapter Six:**

**Used for Good**

Kurama dragged himself upstairs after working overtime. Kasaki was already collapsed at his door and had proceeded to crawl inside though Kurama knew he was just being an idiot. He approached his door and unlocked it before stepping in to find Sanban sitting on the sofa with someone he didn't recognise.

"Hi Dad," she said to him, "How was work?"

"Tiring," he yawned, "Its late Akane, why aren't you in bed?"

"I'm sorry sir I was just leaving," said the girl, "I'm Sumiko, a friend from school, I came over to do homework and we ended up buying takeout."

Kurama waved a hand, "Don't worry about it," he said dismissively, "Did you get me some?"

"In in the fridge," Sanban said causally as she helped her friend pack her stuff. She had been at school for a month now and in that time they had settled into a routine just like any normal family. Kasaki had been kind enough to make law enforcement think Kurama had left the country with false flight records and credit card purchases so he was safe for the time being.

He hoped they could stay in Tokyo but he had to be ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "I'm going to walk Sumiko home," Sanban said and left with her friend.

"Hang on, its late so let me come," Kurama offered but he picked up his food and chopsticks and proceeded to eat while he walked.

"Thank you for escorting me Yuito-Sama," Sumiko said to him.

"Sama, that's a bit too familiar?" Kurama thought, he chuckled and decided to take it as a compliment, "No problem," he said, "But there's no need to be formal with me."

The trio walked a little way down the street until Sumiko said she was home. She ran up to her door and bowed to the family she knew as Endo. "See you tomorrow Akane-Chan!"

"Bye," Sanban shouted back. Kurama and Sanban began to walk back, "She's nice right?"

Kurama was still eating as he walked. "She called me Sama," he said his mouth full and Sanban slapped him on the arm, "What, did you hear her?" he began to walk in a feminine fashion, batting his eyelids, "Oh thank you for escorting me, Yuito-Sama." Sanban growled irately at him, "And she even used my first name, I mean it's not like I mind but still, it's nice to be respected."

"I respect you, isn't that enough?" Kurama waited a few seconds before shrugging, "Oh whatever you meanie."

They arrived back home and Sanban went to bed. He was glad she had made a friend like Sumiko, she didn't seem to have a bad bone in her body and a good influence like that would be great for Sanban.

His only worry was 'what if she eventually loses control'? Kids could be cruel and there was no doubt someone would eventually take advantage of her meek nature and try something. If that happened and she was injured then she might kill someone and then they would have to leave Tokyo and their life behind.

These thoughts were best shared so he snuck out of the apartment and wondered down to Kasaki's apartment with some beers. There was a light coming from under the door so he knocked and waited.

"Kurama," Kasaki said with a smile, "You okay?"

"I'm looking for some company?" he held up the beers and Kasaki let him in, "You have some time to talk?" Kasaki walked into the living room with Kurama close behind.

"What brings you round so late?" Kasaki threw himself onto his lounger and opened the can of beer.

"I'm just not ready to sleep yet," he admitted, "Too much on my mind."

"Such as?"

"Sanban's future for one," he explained, "She isn't like normal girls and if the people who want her back find us I might have to go back on the run and start again."

"I can't say I can relate but you know it's been pretty quiet lately," Kasaki indicated to his computer, "The police aren't looking for you in Japan anymore as far as I know." Kasaki's hacking skills had only gotten sharper as he got older, his friend had always been a savant on a computer but what he did now was simply incredible.

"That's assuring," Kurama said with a sigh, "Still, I'm afraid of uprooting everything we've worked for this last month. Sanban has made friends with a nice girl and I'm settling into to being a company man, it'll be hard to start fresh now."

"I won't abandon you two," Kasaki promised, "I knew this was heavy when you asked me to make you disappear but Sanban is a good kid, she's worth protecting," he sat back in the chair and folded his legs, "If it comes down to you having to run at the very least I'll cover your trail, give these people a new trail of breadcrumbs to follow in the opposite direction."

"Thank you Kasaki, I know I can count on your help," Kurama opened his beer, "But let's just hope we can stay here." Kurama did his best to relax and before long he and Kasaki had switched to talking about their past in college and high school. It was early morning before either of them got any sleep…

Sanban stepped out of the shower, using her Vectors to pull a towel up off the rack and then wrapping it around herself. As she looked in the mirror she noticed that her original pink hair was starting to show at the roots so she would tell Kurama that they needed to touch up their dye but thankfully her hat would hide the problem for now.

She walked back into her room and eyed her new lamp. The one she had smashed last month had been discovered by Kurama but Sanban had lied and said she knocked if over by accident though he didn't look convinced. She finished drying herself and got dressed into her day clothes.

It was the weekend now and Sumiko had invited her to go shopping. Kurama had been giving her a weekly allowance and she had saved up a fair deal of it when she realised there was nothing she needed to buy but today she decided to spoil herself, she was allowed to after all.

Kurama was sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop he had bought. Sanban approached him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going now," she told him, "I'm going to buy some dye on the way back for both of us."

"Yeah," Kurama said, not completely focused on her, "Have fun."

Sanban left the apartment. On the way down she ran into Kasaki who gave her one of his friendly smiles as he unlocked his apartment door with shopping bags on the floor. "Off out kiddo?" he asked and Sanban nodded.

"I'm meeting a friend," she told him, "Do you need a hand?"

"I'm good, have fun," Kasaki opened the door and carried his groceries inside, "See you later." He closed the door and Sanban continued on out of the apartment building and onto the street.

She walked along to Sumiko's house and knocked on the door. Her mother greeted her, she was a nice woman who liked Sanban. "Morning Akane-Chan," she said sweetly, "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes please," Sanban stepped inside and stood on the front porch, "Is Sumiko ready?"

"I'm here," Sumiko rushed into the main hallway, "Wow you look good." Sanban blushed, it was just a simple shirt and jeans. "See you later mom."

"Have fun girls, call me if you're going to be late," she said as the two left. They walked along to a bus stop and stood waiting for the bus. Their trip into town was probably the most fun Sanban had ever had with another person. They ate a delicious lunch at some American style fast food joint, bought new clothes and even caught a movie before it got dark.

Once they were ready to go home however it was getting to be very late. "We should head home," Sumiko said as they walked towards the bus stop, "Let me call my mom on my cell." Sanban didn't have a cell phone yet, it was a little out of her price range. They wondered along the street which was getting emptier the further up they went.

What worried Sanban was that they had to go through a bad neighbourhood to reach the bus stop. Sumiko had said she had gone home this way before and nothing bad happened so Sanban stuck close to her.

She might have been paranoid but she could swear that three guys had been walking behind them for a while now. Sumiko seemed to notice this as well and clasped Sanban's arm for comfort.

"There's the bus stop," she said in a steady tone. There was no one else there and when they stopped so did the three men, "I hope the bus arrives soon."

"Me too," Sanban eyed one of them who had been looking right at her. He gave her a smile that gave her the chills and began to approach the pair.

"What's two little ladies like yourself doing out so late," he asked. He was young but dressed in clothes befitting of a delinquent.

Sumiko's eyes went wide in fear but she replied in a slightly quivering voice, "We're going home," she told him politely. The man just continued to smile.

"How about you come with us," the man got closer to Sanban, "It isn't safe here at this time of night, someone might do terrible things to you." His friends began to laugh in the background.

"We're fine," Sanban said, glaring at the man, "Leave us alone."

"That's no way to talk to an adult," he reached a hand to grab Sanban's shoulder but before she could do anything Sumiko smacked it away herself. The man gave a short growl and backhanded Sumiko across the cheek and sent her to the floor.

"Grab them before we're seen boys," the man said to his friends who began to run towards them, "The Yakuza always pay for pretty girls."

Sumiko's eyes widened in fear as the leader made to pick her up. Sanban wasn't going to let that happen. She turned around and tried to kick the man but his friends grabbed her and Sumiko was roughly pulled to her feet by the hair and pulled out a gun from his jacket. "You two will come quietly and do as your told," he told them with a sadistic grin, "Make a fuss and we'll kill you, got it."

Sanban wanted to use her Vectors. She wanted to rip these men apart limb from limb and leave them a bleeding corpse but she couldn't, it would destroy everything she and Kurama had worked so hard to build and if Sumiko saw that side of her she would lose her forever.

However when she took one look at Sumiko's fear stricken face she decided to do something about it. She used her Vectors to hit the men in their stomach and knock them off her and push them down to the ground. She kicked one for good measure as he lay on the ground severely winded then walked over to their leader.

"Let go of her," she said to the leader who had begun to drag Sumiko away.

The man raised his gun and took aim but Sanban charged forward and rammed into him with her shoulder, using her Vectors for a little extra power and knocked him over. Sumiko went with him but Sanban quickly helped her up. The three men were winded, she had hit them right in the stomach with her Vectors and they struggled to breathe let alone stand but they would live.

Just then the bus pulled in and the door opened. The bus driver took one look at Sumiko, who was crying, and glared at the three men. "Everything alright girls?" he asked, stepping out of the drivers cabin with a baseball bat that had been hidden under the seat, "Are these men bothering you?" He patted the end of the bat with his hand.

"We were just leaving," the leader said through sharp breaths, "Come on guys." They bolted and Sanban wrapped her arms around Sumiko who broke down in a fit of tears.

"Come on girls," he said, "You don't want to hang around here." He let them on the bus without asking for money as Sumiko sat in the front quivering with Sanban right beside her, "I can drop you off near the police station?"

"No we just want to go home," she said with a quivering voice, "Thank you."

"That was so scary," Sumiko told Sanban, "I've used that bus stop late at night a thousand times and that's never happened, they were going to kidnap us," she turned to look at Sanban, "But even though you're smaller than me you stopped them, you were amazing."

Sanban blushed, "I was lucky," she said, it was a lie though because she had used her Vectors but not in a way that would have killed the men. She had used them to protect her friend her friend without killing, she had used them for good instead of something bad.

"I don't care, you're amazing and I love you for it," she sat up and kissed Sanban on the cheek, "You're a good friend Akane-Chan."

Sanban looked at Sumiko and smiled, "So are you," she assured her. They got off at the bus stop near Sumiko's house and together they walked the rest of the way there. Sumiko's mother had a fit when they told her the story.

"No more staying out late," she warned the two, "You come home before dark, both of you or call me to pick you up in the car." She pulled Sanban and Sumiko over and hugged them tightly, "You're father should be very proud of his brave daughter," Sumiko's mom told her, "I know I would be."

It was then that Sanban realised that this was the first time a mother had hugged her. Her own mother might have but she barely remembered their faces let alone any maternal actions before the beatings started. The thought of her parents deaths at her hands brought about a worrying thought, how would Sumiko and her kind mother feel if they found out she was a killer?

The thought brought tears to her eyes. "What's wrong Akane-Chan?" Sumiko's mom asked, "Are you alright?"

Sanban couldn't tell her the truth about why she had started crying. "No," she lied, "It was scary."

Kurama sat with Sanban at the kitchen table. She had just told him the story of what happened and he wasn't angry that she had used her Vectors. "It was worth the risk," he assured her, "I'm proud of you for protecting Sumiko-San without killing them and I know for sure I don't have to worry about you."

"I know what they wanted to do with us, even at the facility no one would touch me like that," Sanban told Kurama, "Not even when I was unconscious," she hugged her arms to her chest, "They made me feel filthy just by being touched by them."

"Don't tell yourself that," he told her, "What happened was not your fault." He stood up and walked over to Sanban so he could hold her in his arms, "You're a good girl Sanban, don't let those men steal your happy smile."

"I wanted to kill them," she admitted as she settled in his arms, "But then I thought of how you would react." Sanban wrapped her arms around Kurama's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Kurama casually petted her head.

It was hard for him to believe she was still only five, she had grown a fair deal physically and mentally over the last month but despite her strength and independence she was still small enough to hold but he hoped no one would think much over a little girl besting three grown men.

"The main thing is you didn't," Kurama told her, "Go get some sleep, I'll be up late if you need me."

Sanban nodded and got ready for bed. Once under the covers she closed her eyes and prayed for pleasant dreams.


End file.
